26 Apr Beds and Sleeping Posture
Here at Openhealth we are always asked for advice on beds and mattresses. Difficult to answer as there are so many variables, your preferred sleeping position, your size, previous injuries, restlessness etc etc. There has been a review of recent research papers, so we thought we’d pass on their findings.
The first looked at the effectiveness of a recommended bedding system based on weight and height. An amazing 60% experienced reduced levels of pain. Female subjects and those with lower body weight were more likely to improve that heavier subjects.
The second compared an airbed with an innerspring mattress. Again surprisingly, 32% reported less pain at night and a whopping 75% increase in sleep quality using the airbed. Interestingly, on returning to their original mattress, 68% reported a return to previous pain levels and 78% poorer sleep.
The last looked at possible changes in muscle activity, heart rate and blood pressure with people using three different degrees of mattress firmness. No statistical trends were found for the three variants.
It should be pointed out that all three studies were with very small samples, 20 to 30 individuals. However, I rest my case, it is a very difficult question to answer!
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